I'm known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on and communication will have on the public conscious and existing businesses.
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First Impressions Review Of The Samsung Galaxy S4

It might not be moments after the phone is announced, but I finally have a review unit of the Samsung Galaxy S4. I’ll be posting a more considered review in two or three weeks time, so this article will focus on my experiences of the Galaxy S4 as it comes out the box, and in the first day of use.

I think this is an important part of the experience. After the advertising, consumers have a very short time in store to assess a phone, but have the confidence they have the cooling off period that lets them return the handset after a day or so using the device. Delivering a good out the box experience is as important as packing in lots of extra apps and functionality.

The packaging (at least here in the UK) gives the handset a natural feel, looking like a wooden box, with false wood grain. It is, in fact, cardboard. Already the Galaxy S4 is pulling a bit of a switch on you. Inside the wood/natural colouring continues in the internal tray and introductory booklets.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

And then there’s the Galaxy S4 itself, sitting on top of the box with its five inch 1080p screen. I think this is the biggest initial selling point. It’s a big screen that takes up most of the device, it has some wonderful viewing angles, and it’s bright with very vivid colours. Assuming that the in store has a working unit, the screen could sell the device on its own.

By reducing the bezel around the screen, I found it possible to comfortably hold the Galaxy S4 in my hand, but the physical size means that one handed operation is pretty much out of the question. I can reach some of the controls with the thumb on my right hand, but to do anything meaningful I needed to use my other hand. This is the trade off that comes from a larger screened device. Ask me again in two weeks if it’s one that works or not.

What doesn’t work for me is the back of the device. It’s a flimsy sheet of injection moulded plastic, held in place by some plastic clips, with a hunk of plastic carved out to make a speaker grilled and a bump of plastic to lift it up off the table.

I think Samsung forgot that this is a £500/$600 device and decided to go for the cheapest possible material at the rear of the device, It feels tacky, it feels wrong, and I know most people will pick up the handset at a subsidised price, but just as I love the screen on the front, I find the quality of materials used for the rear of the S4 to be something that I can easily hate.

Construction materials aside, the Galaxy S4′s weight, and especially its thin profile make it a compelling device to hold in wonder. Knowing what it can do it should be heavier. Knowing what’s inside and it should be thicker. But it’s not. All the components have been placed inside to give it as tight a profile as possible. This is a phone that wants to be shown off.

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“There are more handsets out there with a bit more flair, operating systems that have a better overall experience in terms of UI or apps.” “Buying a Galaxy S$ might not be the cutting edge thing to do”

Care to tell us what is in your opinion a better phone? And how S4 is’nt cutting edge?

“Buying the S4 is not the cutting edge thing to do” is not the same as the S4 isn;t cutting edge”. IN the same way as buying ta regular four door saloon car is the easy middle of the road option, so is the S4. Yes it has the specs of Android and Samsung’s additional software, but its market position make it safe and easy. No buyer in an organisation is going to be fired for buying Samsung, for example.

So basically your saying if you want a family car buy S4, but if you want a cool sport car buy.. what apple?

The fact that it can work with anyone and do the job, will make this phone very good to sell,plus the freedom the Android offers makes it not a family car but a cool off-road 4×4 truck.

Personally i dont own either smart phone but i did buy and sell many, the thing i hated most with Iphones is the restrictions and general feeling that they need to control everything you do with the phone you bought, while with Android you have more options and more freedom.

The S3 has a similar “cheap” feel to the battery cover, but since I always buy a case for my phone, I never see the battery cover. The only time that the cheap feel of the battery cover worries me is when I have to take the cover off. At that point I feel like I’m about to break it.

I think it’s a bit of a cop-out of assuming you will always have a phone in a case. Some of the phones from Nokia in the current wave have no need for a case, and arguably neither does the HTC One. I’m not giving Samsung a free pass on this one!

A phone is just a matter of preferences when comes to feels and looks. However, when compare to specs one can’t argue the fact that Samsung is leap and bound above the Iphone. Seems to me that Iphone is no longer the leader in the industry, but a follower. For example: widgets, 4g-lte, screen size, nfc, and so on…

Widgets… have a look at the Live Tile concept on Windows Phone. 4G-LTE can be found in BlackBerry, Nokia, and other Android devices. Screen sizes are available all round – Sony and HTC are good examples here. NFC is getting close to industry standard now. I wouldn’t say that Samsung is ‘leaps and bounds’ ahead. They are incrementally ahead in some areas, and behind in others.

I love the Ford comment. S4 is like a Ford. Nice. I love my S4 rooted and Cyanogenmod 10. Pimp daddy without the gimmicks. But might head back to stock ROM without Cyan. well see. I’m missing s voice, camera, and other features explained here for sure.

For the first time a phone has got a screen which scrolls upwards when you look at the top of the screen and it scrolls down when you look at its bottom. This feature is called Smart Scroll. It also pauses a video as soon as you look away from the screen – Smart Pause. Learn equally interesting facts in this dedicated read-up section I came across at this new website: